Vacuum splint apparatus for accommodating the chin of a patient and method for using the same

ABSTRACT

A particle filled neck brace is used for immobilizing the neck and chin of a patient and includes a vacuum pump disposed on the neck brace, which pump is communicated to the interior of the neck brace. After the neck brace is secured around the neck and chin of the patient, the vacuum pump is manipulated to remove air from the neck brace to form a rigid mold about the patient&#39;s neck and chin. The vacuum pump has a one way directional valve so that the neck brace remains in a rigid configuration for as long as the neck brace is applied to the patient. The neck brace also specifically forms a rigid mold over the patient&#39;s chin so as to immobilize the patient as well as to provide a comfortable fit without inducing further stress onto the patient.

BACKGROUND Field of the Technology

The invention relates to the field of pneumatic splints, specifically avacuum operated splint for immobilizing the neck of a patient.

Description of the Prior Art

Medical splints and other immobilizers have long been used to immobilizeor otherwise restrict the physical movement of a region or limb of aninjured patient. Many traditional splints are made from cardboard,plastic, padded board, or fiberglass and may either be generic in shapeor specifically formed to fit a specified limb or body part of thepatient. Typically, the splint is placed under the injured portion ofthe patient and is then tightened to straighten and/or immobilize thebody part to prevent further relative movement of the body part and thusprevent further injury and allow the patient an opportunity to heal.Some splints include vacuum or pneumatic pumps which inflate the splintwith air until a tight hold is achieved around the injured portion ofthe patient.

A type of splint that is made to fit a specific body part is the neckbrace, which is specifically shaped and formed to fit about the neck ofthe patients while also accommodating their shoulders and face. The mostbasic neck brace is the soft collar which consists of a section of softfoam that wraps around the neck of the patient and is then held in placewith a temporary means of coupling such as Velcro and the like. Otherneck braces comprise a semi-rigid plastic frame with a soft inner foampadding which is likewise placed around the injured patient's neck andthen held in place with interlocking straps or a sliding or telescopictrack element.

A problem with many neck braces, however, is that many of them must beadjusted before being applied to the patient's neck. Therefore beforethe patient's neck can be immobilized, the person applying the bracemust first assess the patient and then manipulate the brace in order toensure that an appropriate fit is achieved when placed around thepatient's neck. This can be critical in emergency situations when an EMTor other medical responder first arrives at an accident scene when everysecond counts. Inflatable neck braces do not require any pre-adjustmentaccording to size however they do require the coupling and activation ofan external pump device before the patient may be sufficientlyimmobilized. Again, in emergency situations when time and physicalaccess to the injured patient may be limited, such an inflatable neckbrace could prove to be more detrimental to the treatment of the patientthan other braces.

What is needed therefore is a neck brace which can be easily and quicklyapplied to an injured patient of any size, which does not require anyexternal pumps for operation and which also properly immobilizes theneck of the patient and prevents for further injury.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The current invention provides an apparatus for immobilizing the neckand chin of a patient. The apparatus includes a splint body with a frontsurface, a back surface, a first and second end which define adeflatable interior. A coupling portion is connected to the splint bodythat allows the first end to be selectively joined to the second end ofthe splint body when the splint body is applied about the neck and chinof the patient. The interior of the neck brace contains looselycompressible particles. Also connected to the splint body is a manuallyoperable vacuum pump which has an input communicated with the inflatableinterior of the splint body. Additionally, defined within the surface ofthe splint body is a face cutout which is configured to encompass thechin of the patient.

In one embodiment, the vacuum pump of the apparatus includes a syringeaperture communicated to the inflatable interior of the splint body anda syringe pump that is removably coupled to a distal end of the syringeaperture. The syringe aperture further includes a coupling portiondisposed at its distal end which is configured to form a removablecoupling with a distal end of the syringe pump. In a related embodiment,the syringe aperture and the syringe pump each contain a one-waydirectional valve.

In another embodiment, the apparatus further contains a release valvethat is disposed within the splint body.

In yet another embodiment, the face cutout of the neck brace isconfigured to leave the mouth of the patient free to an outsideenvironment during use of the neck brace.

In a further embodiment, the neck brace also has at least two shouldercutouts defined within the splint body.

In another embodiment, the face cutout is configured to form a rigidsupport encompassing the chin of the patient when the vacuum pump isactuated. In a related embodiment, the splint body is configured tomaintain the chin of the patient in an immobilized position after thevacuum pump has been actuated.

The current invention also provides for a method for immobilizing theneck and chin of a patient. The method includes wrapping a neck bracecomprised of a deflatable splint body having an interior filled with aplurality of compressible particles around the neck and chin of thepatient. The splint body of the neck brace is then disposed over thechin of the patient and then a removable vacuum pump which has beencoupled to the splint body of the neck brace is actuated. The actuationof the vacuum pump removes air from the deflatable splint body of theneck brace and compresses the splint body of the neck brace to form arigid mold about the neck and chin of the patient.

In one embodiment, the actuation of the removable vacuum pump disposedon the splint body of the neck brace is performed by removablyconnecting a syringe pump to a distal end of a syringe aperturecommunicated to the interior of the splint body and then actuating thesyringe pump. Actuation of the syringe pump then removes air from theinterior of the splint body.

In another embodiment, removing air from the interior of the splint bodyof the neck brace is performed by drawing air from within the interiorof the splint body of the neck brace through the syringe aperture.

In yet another embodiment, the method further includes disconnecting thesyringe pump from the syringe aperture after removing air from theinterior of the splint body.

In a further embodiment, removing air from the deflatable splint body ofthe neck brace to compress the splint body of the neck brace and form arigid mold about the neck and chin of the patient is performed bymaintaining the chin of the patient under the splint body as the rigidmold about the neck and chin is being formed.

In another embodiment, removing air from the deflatable splint body ofthe neck brace to compress the splint body of the neck brace to form arigid mold about the neck and chin of the patient is performed byleaving the mouth of the patient free to an outside environment as therigid mold is being formed.

In another embodiment, disposing the splint body of the neck brace overthe chin of the patient is specifically performed by placing a facecutout defined in the splint body under the mouth of the patient andover the chin of the patient. This embodiment also specifies thatremoving air from the deflatable splint body of the neck brace tocompress the splint body of the neck brace to form a rigid mold aboutthe neck and chin of the patient is performed by compressing the splintbody so that the face cutout forms a rigid mold about the contours ofthe chin of the patient.

In another embodiment, actuating the syringe pump includes forcing airfrom the interior of the splint body through a one-way directional valvelocated in the syringe aperture.

In a related embodiment, actuating the syringe pump includes forcing airfrom the interior of the splint body through a one-way directional valvelocated in the syringe pump.

While the apparatus and method has or will be described for the sake ofgrammatical fluidity with functional explanations, it is to be expresslyunderstood that the claims, unless expressly formulated under 35 USC112, are not to be construed as necessarily limited in any way by theconstruction of “means” or “steps” limitations, but are to be accordedthe full scope of the meaning and equivalents of the definition providedby the claims under the judicial doctrine of equivalents, and in thecase where the claims are expressly formulated under 35 USC 112 are tobe accorded full statutory equivalents under 35 USC 112. The disclosurecan be better visualized by turning now to the following drawingswherein like elements are referenced by like numerals.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a frontal plan view of the neck brace of the illustratedembodiments of the current invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear plan view of the neck brace seen in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a magnified view of a hand pump disposed on a body portion ofthe neck brace seen in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the vacuum hand pump disposed on theneck brace when the hand pump is in an expanded configuration.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the vacuum hand pump disposed on theneck brace when the hand pump is in a compressed configuration.

FIG. 6 is a magnified cross sectional view of the vacuum hand pump seenin FIG. 3, including the housing portion of the hand pump.

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the vacuum hand pump seen in FIG. 3when the hand pump is in an expanded configuration.

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of the vacuum hand pump seen in FIG. 3when the hand pump is in a compressed configuration.

FIG. 9 is a magnified cross sectional view of a one-way directionalvalve disposed in a surface of the housing seen in FIG. 6.

FIG. 10 is a frontal view of an alternative embodiment of the neck bracewhen disposed about the neck and chin of a patient.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the alternative embodiment of the neckbrace seen in FIG. 10.

The disclosure and its various embodiments can now be better understoodby turning to the following detailed description of the preferredembodiments which are presented as illustrated examples of theembodiments defined in the claims. It is expressly understood that theembodiments as defined by the claims may be broader than the illustratedembodiments described below.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Greater detail of the illustrated embodiments of the current inventionmay be had by turning to FIGS. 1 and 2 which shows the current neckbrace denoted generally by reference numeral 10. FIG. 1 shows a frontalview of the brace 10 which comprises of a body 12 that is substantiallyrectangular in shape. The body 12 itself comprises a neck cutout 14 anda plurality of shoulder cutouts 16. The neck cutout 14 and shouldercutouts 16 are sized and defined in the body 12 at the appropriatelocations so that when the neck brace 10 is applied to a patient's neckregion, the neck cutout 14 appropriately accommodates the jaw and headof the patient while the shoulder cutouts 16 accommodate the shouldersand chest region of the patient as is known in the art. The body 12itself is comprised of soft vinyl or other flexible material and isfilled with a plurality of foam micro beads known in the art.

The body 12 further comprises a coupling portion 18 joined to theremainder of the body 12 via a flexible region 20. Like the main part ofthe body 12, the coupling portion 18 is also filled with a plurality offoam micro beads. The flexible region 20 however does not have any microbeads. The coupling portion 18 is used to join the opposing ends of thebody 12 together when the neck brace 10 is placed around the neck of theinjured patient. Specifically, as seen in the rear view of the neckbrace 10 in FIG. 2, the back surface of the coupling portion 18comprises a hook and latch fabric pad 24 so that when the neck brace 10is placed on the patient, the coupling portion 18 is brought around tothe opposing end of the front of the body 12 where an opposing hook andlatch fabric pad 22 is disposed. The medical professional secures theneck brace 10 in place by aligning the hook and latch fabric pad 24 onthe back surface with the opposing pad 22 on the front surface andadhering the pad 24 and opposing pad 22 together. The pads 24, 22 arebrought together relative to one another according to the width orcircumference of the patient's neck and shoulder region. To release theneck brace 10, the coupling portion 18 is pulled away from the patientwhich in turn pulls the pad 24 away from the opposing pad 22 of hook andlatch fabric thus releasing the ends of the body 12 from each other.With the opposing ends of the body 12 separated, the neck brace 10 maybe removed from the neck and shoulder region of the patient.

Also seen in FIG. 1 is a vacuum hand pump 26 which is disposed on thefront surface of the body 12. While the vacuum hand pump 26 is shown asbeing disposed substantially beneath the neck cutout 14, it is to beexpressly understood that the vacuum hand pump 26 may located anywhereon the body 12 of the neck brace 10 without changing the overallfunction or scope of the claimed invention. Greater detail of the vacuumhand pump 26 may be seen in the magnified views of FIGS. 3 and 4. Thevacuum hand pump 26 comprises a housing 30 with a frame 28 disposedaround it. Coupled to the housing 30 is a bellows 32 which may becompressed against the housing 30 as detailed further below. Coupled toa distal end of the bellows 32 is a plunger 34. The plunger 34 issufficiently sized and shaped so that a medical professional may easilygrip and press the plunger 34 with his or her fingers. The plunger 34itself comprises a shuttle 36 disposed on either lateral side of theplunger 34. Each shuttle 36 is disposed in a corresponding track 38formed within the lateral sides of the frame 28. Also disposed in eachtrack 38 is a tension spring 40 which is coupled to the frame 28 at oneend and coupled to the shuttle 36 at the opposing end.

Greater detail of the housing 30 and the components contained thereinmay be seen in FIG. 6. The housing 30 comprises an internal chamber 44for passing a volume of air from the body 12 of the neck brace 10 to theoutside environment. Also disposed within the housing 30 is a body valve46 which is fluidly coupled to an internal volume of the body 12. As isknown in the art, the body valve 46 is a one-way directional valve whichallows for air to flow in substantially only one direction, namely fromthe body 12 to the internal chamber 44 of the housing 30. Disposed inthe top surface of the housing 30 is a housing valve 42, which like thebody valve 46, is a one-way directional valve which allows air to flowin only one direction from the internal chamber 44 of the housing 30 tothe ambient environment. Detail of the housing valve 42 may been seen inFIG. 9 which shows the housing valve 42 comprising a substantiallyannular or ring shaped valve seat 48 and a flexible diaphragm 50. Asseen in the cross sectional view of FIG. 9, the diaphragm 50 is disposedwithin the center of the valve seat 48 with outer circumference of thediaphragm 50 resting on an inner radius of the valve seat 48.

After disposing the neck brace 10 around the neck of the patient andsecuring it in place, the user or medical professional operates thevacuum hand pump 26 by first placing his or her hand on top of thevacuum hand pump 26 seen in FIGS. 4 and 7 with the heel of his or herhand at or near the back of the housing 30 and fingers in front of theplunger 34. The user then compresses the vacuum hand pump 26 bysqueezing the plunger 34 and bringing it back towards the stationaryhousing 30. As the user squeezes the plunger 34, the bellows 32 arecompressed which drives air within the internal chamber 44 out of thehousing 30 through the housing valve 42 in the direction of the arrowsseen in FIG. 9. Specifically, air is driven towards the diaphragm 50which lifts the outer circumference of the diaphragm 50 upward and offof the valve seat 48 and allowing the air to exit the housing 30. Afterthe air pressure is equalized between the ambient environment and theinternal chamber 44, the diaphragm 50 returns to its original positionon the valve seat 48, thus preventing any air from reentering theinternal chamber 44 of the housing 30. As the movement of the plunger 34compresses the bellows 32, the shuttles 36 on either side of the vacuumhand pump 26 move through their respective tracks 38 and stretch each ofthe respective tension springs 40 coupled to each shuttle as seen inFIGS. 5 and 8.

After the bellows 32 has been fully compressed and the air driven fromthe internal chamber 44 of the housing 30, the user releases his or hergrip on the plunger 34. The tension springs 40 then begin to compressand draw the plunger 34 away from the housing 30, thus expanding thebellows 32. The expanding bellows 32 in turn then draws air out of thebody 12 of the neck brace 10 through the body valve 46 and into theinternal chamber 44 of the housing 30. Once air has entered the internalchamber 44, the body valve 46 prevents its reentry back into the body 12as is known in the art.

With air now back in the internal chamber 44 of the housing 30, the useronce again may repeat the pumping process by compressing the plunger 34and driving the air out of the housing 30 and into the ambientenvironment through the housing valve 42. It is in this manner that airis quickly and efficiently removed from the body 12 of the neck brace10. With each subsequent stroke of the vacuum hand pump 26, a higher andhigher vacuum is created within the body 12 which in turn removes airfrom the plurality of micro beads disposed within the body 12 whichcollapses under ambient exterior air pressure and presses the beadscloser and closer together, thus making the body 12 more rigid andconforming the contours of body 12 to the shape of the patient's neckand shoulder region. The user continues to operate the vacuum hand pump26 until the neck brace 10 is sufficiently rigidly set about thepatient's neck and effectively immobilizes the patient's neck. With theneck brace 10 firmly in position, the patient may be moved as needed toreceive further treatment without fear of further aggravating thepatient's injuries.

To remove the neck brace 10 from the patient, the user opens a releasevalve 52 disposed on the back surface of the body 12 as seen in FIG. 2.The release valve 52 is a one-way valve known in the art which allowsair to rush into the evacuated interior of body 12 previously pumped outby the vacuum hand pump 26. The reinserted air inflates or expands theneck brace 10 and relaxes the body 12. When the body 12 has sufficientlysoftened and has regained a certain amount of flexibility, the user mayuncouple the ends of the body 12 from each other as disclosed above,unfold body 12 and remove the neck brace 10 from neck and shoulderregion of the patient. While FIG. 2 shows the release valve 52 as beingsubstantially disposed in a corner on the back surface of the body 12,it is to be expressly understood that this is for illustrative purposesonly and that the release valve 52 may in fact be located anywhere onthe front or back surface of the body 12 without significantly departingfrom the original intent and purpose of the current invention.

In a separate embodiment, the hand pump 26 of the neck brace 10 may bereplaced with a syringe pump 102 coupled to a neck brace 100 as seen inFIGS. 10 and 11. The syringe pump 102 is coupled to the neck brace 100through a syringe aperture 104. The syringe aperture 104 is permanentlycoupled to an internal volume of the neck brace 100 at its proximal end.Disposed at a distal end of the syringe aperture 104 is a couplingportion 110 which is configured to accommodate a distal end of thesyringe pump 102. The syringe aperture 104 further comprises a one-waydirectional valve 106 disposed within the coupling portion 110.

To use the syringe pump 102, a user wraps the neck brace 100 around theneck and shoulder region of a patient 114 as disclosed above. Thesyringe pump 102 is coupled to the syringe aperture 104 by inserting thedistal end of the syringe pump 102 into the coupling portion 110 untilthe syringe pump 102 snaps or clicks into place via a friction fit orpressure fit as is known in the art. Alternatively, the neck brace 100may be placed about the patient 114 in a pre-assembled state, namelywith the syringe pump 102 already coupled to the syringe aperture 104.Once coupled, the user activates the syringe pump 102 by repeatedlymanipulating a plunger disposed in the proximal end of the syringe pump102 (not seen) as is known in the art. Specifically, as the plunger isdrawn back, air from within the internal volume of the neck brace 100 isdrawn out through the syringe aperture 104. As air exits the syringeaperture 104 it passes through the first one-way directional valve 106and into the syringe pump 102. A second one-way directional valve 108disposed within the syringe pump 102 directs air which has been drawnfrom the neck brace 100 into the ambient environment. The user thenpushes the plunger of the syringe pump 102 back in the distal direction,the first and second one-way directional valves 106, 108 preventing airfrom flowing back into the neck brace 100 as is well known in the art.The user continues to manipulate the syringe pump 102 further drawingout air from the neck brace 100 and further contracting the neck brace100 about the neck and shoulders of the patient 114 and creating a rigidneck brace as seen in FIGS. 10 and 11. Once the neck brace 100 hasreached a sufficient level a rigidity, the user may stop manipulatingthe syringe pump 102 and let the syringe pump 102 hang down from theneck brace 100 in front of the patient 114. Alternatively, the user maydetach the syringe pump 102 from the neck brace 100 by releasing thesyringe pump 102 from the coupling portion 110 of the syringe aperture104.

Greater functional detail of the neck brace 100 may also be had fromFIGS. 10 and 11. Specifically, the neck brace comprises a plurality ofshoulder cutouts 116 and a face cutout 112 which are sized and shapedwithin the neck brace 100 at the appropriate locations so that when theneck brace 100 is applied to the patient's 114 neck region, the facecutout 112 appropriately accommodates the jaw and chin of the patientwhile the shoulder cutouts 116 accommodate the shoulders and upper chestregion of the patient 114. The face cutout 112 is a substantiallyhalf-moon shape cutout or aperture defined within a body portion 120 ofthe neck brace 100. As best seen in FIG. 11, the face cutout 112 isconfigured or defined to leave the nose and mouth 122 of the patient 114open to the ambient environment while encompassing or enclosing the jawand chin 188 of the patient 114 within the neck brace 100 when the neckbrace 100 is wrapped about the patient 144 as disclosed above. Unlikeprior neck braces, the neck brace 100 seen in FIGS. 10 and 11 explicitlyallows for the disposition of the chin 118 within the neck brace 100itself, thus dramatically increasing the overall comfort for the patient114 wearing the neck brace 100 while still maintaining a sufficientlevel of immobilization required for effective medical treatment.Specifically, as is discussed above in relation to the previousembodiment, the neck brace 100 is placed or wrapped around the neck andchin 118 of the patient 114 while the body 120 of the neck brace 100 isin a soft or pliable state. With the patient's chin 188 still within theenclosed space formed by the applied neck brace 100, the user activatesthe neck brace 100 by removing air from within the neck brace 100 asdisclosed above, thus contracting the neck brace 100 and forming a rigidthree dimensional structure about the patient's neck and chin 118.Because the neck brace 100 contracts and forms to the specific contoursof the patient's neck, shoulders, jaw, and chin 118, the patient 114 orthe user do not need to remove the patient's chin 118 from within theenclosed space of the neck brace 100. Instead, the neck brace 100 formsa rigid structure which not only limits the relative movement of thepatient's neck, but also prevents the patient's chin 118 from anyundesired relative movement as well. In other words, as the user iswrapping the neck brace 100 about the patient 114, a comfortable andrelaxed fit for the patient 114 is achieved since the neck brace 100 isinitially soft and extremely pliable and does not place the patient inthe discomfort of a near traction like state normally associated withneck braces or collars. The comfortable fit achieved by the neck brace100 is then maintained upon its activation since the contractingmovement and increasing rigidity of the neck brace 100 does not alterthe position of the chin 118 of the patient 114 but rather “locks” itinto an immobilized position.

Many alterations and modifications may be made by those having ordinaryskill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of theembodiments. Therefore, it must be understood that the illustratedembodiment has been set forth only for the purposes of example and thatit should not be taken as limiting the embodiments as defined by thefollowing embodiments and its various embodiments.

Therefore, it must be understood that the illustrated embodiment hasbeen set forth only for the purposes of example and that it should notbe taken as limiting the embodiments as defined by the following claims.For example, notwithstanding the fact that the elements of a claim areset forth below in a certain combination, it must be expresslyunderstood that the embodiments includes other combinations of fewer,more or different elements, which are disclosed in above even when notinitially claimed in such combinations. A teaching that two elements arecombined in a claimed combination is further to be understood as alsoallowing for a claimed combination in which the two elements are notcombined with each other, but may be used alone or combined in othercombinations. The excision of any disclosed element of the embodimentsis explicitly contemplated as within the scope of the embodiments.

The words used in this specification to describe the various embodimentsare to be understood not only in the sense of their commonly definedmeanings, but to include by special definition in this specificationstructure, material or acts beyond the scope of the commonly definedmeanings. Thus if an element can be understood in the context of thisspecification as including more than one meaning, then its use in aclaim must be understood as being generic to all possible meaningssupported by the specification and by the word itself.

The definitions of the words or elements of the following claims are,therefore, defined in this specification to include not only thecombination of elements which are literally set forth, but allequivalent structure, material or acts for performing substantially thesame function in substantially the same way to obtain substantially thesame result. In this sense it is therefore contemplated that anequivalent substitution of two or more elements may be made for any oneof the elements in the claims below or that a single element may besubstituted for two or more elements in a claim. Although elements maybe described above as acting in certain combinations and even initiallyclaimed as such, it is to be expressly understood that one or moreelements from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised fromthe combination and that the claimed combination may be directed to asubcombination or variation of a subcombination.

Insubstantial changes from the claimed subject matter as viewed by aperson with ordinary skill in the art, now known or later devised, areexpressly contemplated as being equivalently within the scope of theclaims. Therefore, obvious substitutions now or later known to one withordinary skill in the art are defined to be within the scope of thedefined elements.

The claims are thus to be understood to include what is specificallyillustrated and described above, what is conceptionally equivalent, whatcan be obviously substituted and also what essentially incorporates theessential idea of the embodiments.

I claim:
 1. A method for immobilizing the neck and chin of a patientcomprising: wrapping a neck brace comprising a deflatable splint bodyhaving an interior defined by a front surface and a back surface of thesplint body filled with a plurality of compressible particles around theneck and chin of the patient, wherein the neck brace further comprises acoupling portion which is positioned at the back of the neck of thepatient when the neck brace is wrapped around the neck and chin of thepatient; disposing the splint body of the neck brace over a zygomatic,buccal, and mental region of the patient's face while allowing access tothe mouth of the patient regardless of an initial position of the headand neck of the patient; actuating a removable vacuum pump coupled tothe splint body of the neck brace; and removing air from the deflatablesplint body of the neck brace so that the back surface of the splintbody of the neck brace is brought against the neck of the patient andthe zygomatic, buccal, and mental regions of the patient's face to forma rigid mold about the neck of the patient and the zygomatic, buccal,and mental regions of the patient's face.
 2. The method of claim 1 whereactuating a removable vacuum pump disposed on the splint body of theneck brace comprises: removably coupling a syringe pump to a distal endof a syringe aperture communicated to the interior of the splint body;actuating the syringe pump; and removing air from the interior of thesplint body.
 3. The method of claim 2 where removing air from theinterior of the splint body of the neck brace comprises drawing air fromwithin the interior of the splint body of the neck brace through thesyringe aperture.
 4. The method of claim 2 further comprising decouplingthe syringe pump from the syringe aperture after removing air from theinterior of the splint body.
 5. The method of claim 2 where actuatingthe syringe pump comprises forcing air from the interior of the splintbody through a one-way directional valve disposed in the syringeaperture.
 6. The method of claim 2 where actuating the syringe pumpcomprises forcing air from the interior of the splint body through aone-way directional valve disposed in the syringe pump.
 7. The method ofclaim 1 where disposing the splint body of the neck brace over thezygomatic, buccal, and mental region of the patient's face comprisesdisposing a face cutout defined in the splint body under the mouth ofthe patient and over the chin of the patient.
 8. The method of claim 7where removing air from the deflatable splint body of the neck brace sothat the back surface of the splint body of the neck brace is broughtagainst the neck of the patient and the zygomatic, buccal, and mentalregions of the patient's face to form a rigid mold about the neck of thepatient and the zygomatic, buccal, and mental regions of the patient'sface comprises compressing the splint body so that the face cutout formsa rigid mold about the contours of the mental region of the patient. 9.The method of claim 1 where removing air from the deflatable splint bodyof the neck brace so that the back surface of the splint body of theneck brace is brought against the neck of the patient and the zygomatic,buccal, and mental regions of the patient's face to form a rigid moldabout the neck of the patient and the zygomatic, buccal, and mentalregions of the patient's face comprises maintaining the mental region ofthe patient's face under the splint body as the rigid mold about theneck of the patient and the zygomatic, buccal, and mental regions of thepatient's face is being formed.
 10. An apparatus for immobilizing theneck and chin of a patient comprising: a splint body, the splint bodycomprising a front surface and a back surface, a first and second end,wherein the front surface and the back surface are coupled together todefine a deflatable interior disposed there between; a coupling portioncoupled to the splint body wherein the first end may be selectivelyjoined to the second end of the splint body when the splint body isapplied about the neck of the patient, wherein the coupling portion ispositioned at the back of the neck of the patient when joined to thesecond end of the splint body; a plurality of loosely compressibleparticles disposed in the deflatable interior of the splint body; amanually operable vacuum pump coupled to the splint body and having aninput communicated with the deflatable interior of the splint body; anda face cutout defined in the splint body such that the splint body isconfigured to encompass and support the zygomatic, buccal, and mentalregions of the patient's face while the face cutout allows access to themouth of the patient regardless of an initial position of the head andneck of the patient, wherein the vacuum pump is configured to remove airfrom the deflatable interior and bring the back surface of the splintbody against the neck of the patient and the zygomatic, buccal, andmental regions of the patient's face without moving the neck or head ofthe patient.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10 where the vacuum pumpcomprises: a syringe aperture comprising a proximal end communicatedwith the inflatable interior of the splint body; and a syringe pumpremovably coupled to a distal end of the syringe aperture.
 12. Theapparatus of claim 11 where the syringe aperture further comprises acoupling portion disposed at a distal end of the syringe aperture, thecoupling portion configured to form a removable coupling with a distalend of the syringe pump.
 13. The apparatus of claim 11 where the syringeaperture further comprises a one-way directional valve.
 14. Theapparatus of claim 11 where the syringe pump further comprises a one-waydirectional valve.
 15. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising arelease valve disposed in the splint body.
 16. The apparatus of claim 10further comprising a plurality of shoulder cutouts defined within thesplint body.
 17. The apparatus of claim 10 where the face cutout isconfigured to form a rigid support encompassing the chin of the patientand maintain it in an immobilized position when the vacuum pump isactuated.